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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau

South Africa’s specialised police unit, the Hawks’ Assets Forfeiture Investigation (AFI), has successfully secured preservation orders to seize properties valued at over R800 000 from suspected cigarette smugglers.

The orders were issued by the Limpopo High Court Division in Polokwane on February 21 and 24 as authorities continued with their clampdown on the smuggling of cigarettes from Zimbabwe to South Africa.

The order is a letter instructing the recipient not to destroy, alter, or delete any documents helpful to the sender and is critical in today’s world where most documents are electronically stored.

Hawks spokesperson for Limpopo province Warrant Officer Lethunya Mmuroa said during August 2022, police confiscated a vehicle from Dedschen Tedasse Fantaye, an Ethiopian, following his arrest for unlawful possession of illicit cigarettes.

He then tried to offer the police graft to get his vehicle back.

The R10 000 was seized from him after he indicated that the money was for graft.

The Asset Forfeiture Investigation was then tasked with the investigation and further referred to the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) for an application of a preservation order.

On February 21 2024, the Limpopo High Court Division in Polokwane issued a Preservation order for the R10 000.

Warrant Officer Mmuroa said they had also secured preservation orders to seize a Toyota Hilux valued at R107 400, a Volvo truck, trailers and a Mazda 3 all worth R574 100.

The Toyota Hilux loaded with illicit cigarettes was impounded by the police in May last year and the matter was handed over to the AFI for further investigations.

According to the official, the owner of the vehicle could not be traced and during the investigation, it was later discovered that the suspects ran away when it came to light that they had contraband cigarettes.

“The previous owner of the recovered vehicle was traced and confirmed that the vehicle was sold to a Zimbabwean national and didn’t change ownership for the said vehicle used in the commission of crime,” said Warrant Officer Mmuroa.

A few months ago, the same court issued another order for the Hawks to hold property worth R4 million they recovered recently for 11 people they found smuggling cigarettes from Zimbabwe.

The smuggling of cigarettes from Zimbabwe into South Africa through illegal crossing points along the Limpopo River is rife with around 30 per cent of cigarettes in South Africa smuggled from Zimbabwe.

The smuggling is fuelled by the low excise duties on tobacco at the Zimbabwe end and very high duties in South Africa and the other four countries of the South African Union.

This means cigarettes can be bought, fully taxed and held quite legally in Zimbabwe, and then smuggled across the border without paying the very high duties.

Commonly a crate of cartons of Zimbabwean cigarettes is bought for around US$120 legally in Zimbabwe, smuggled to South AFrica where it sells for between US$250 and US$300 to the syndicates who then retail the consignment for above R15 000.

Those who illegally transport the commodity across borders are paid between R100 and R300 per crate and in most cases this is done under the cover of darkness.